Last Hope - Nico di Angelo Love Story
by darkeyesdontlie
Summary: Stella Matthews is your average daughter of Nike. Brave, feisty, and always wins. She thought she wasn't cut out for love, but when she is thrown on a last-minute quest with Nico di Angelo, her world is turned upside-down.
1. Chapter 1: I Beat Clarisse

**STELLA MATTHEWS**

Only two competitors out of twenty were left on the obstacle course. One from the red team, the huge Clarisse LaRue, and one from the blue team, an newbie (or "greenie," which is what the Athena cabin started calling new demigods. I blame The Maze Runner,) who no one expected to last that long.

Also known as me.

What they don't know was that I grew up on a military base. I had practically done obstacle courses in my sleep. Only never against someone as determined as Clarisse.

There was one more obstacle until the end. The rings. They weren't so bad on their own, but there was also flaming fireballs being thrown at us. Thanks, Leo.

I expertly dodged a fireball, not losing my grip on the ring. Clarisse was right next to me. "Don't think you're going to win this, newbie," she said. "I never lose."

I gave her my best innocent grin. "Are you so sure?" I said sweetly. Clarisse grunted, moving at the same speed. "Oh my gods, look at the sign Chris is holding up for you!"

In the second that she lost her focus to look, I curled my body up like I was going to do a pull up, and kicked her hand of the ring. She was in the process of shifting to the next ring, so she only had a one-hand grip. The blue team went wild as she tumbled to the ground.

"And that's how you do it," I said, smirking as I conquered the last few rings, and ran to the finish line. The blue team practically exploded, yelling and throwing confetti.

"The winner is Stella Matthews, from the blue team!" Mr. D yelled.

My team roared again. I grinned as they all crowded around me and pushed past their endless chattering to get to a boy who had caught my eye earlier.

He looked about a few inches taller than me, and had messy black hair that fell over one of his deep brown eyes. His clothes, black shirt and jeans with an aviator's jacket, were loose on his thinner-than-average frame. I'm not one to judge by first glance, but he seemed sort of worn out and depressed. There were dark circles under his eyes that contrasted with his deathly pale skin.

He was with a girl I knew as Hazel Levesque, daughter of Pluto, both of them on the blue team. "Bye," she said to him, and walked off hand-in-hand with Frank Zhang, son of Mars. (A bunch of people from Camp Jupiter had visited. Today was their last day.)

When he looked up from the ground, his eyes landed on me. "How did you do that?" were his first words.

"Do what?" I asked. He rolled his eyes.

"Knock Clarisse down. She's twice your size. No offense, but you're kind of a shrimp." I noticed a slight Italian accent to his voice.

"Look who's talking," I countered. "You're not much taller than me and probably my age. And, for your information, I grew up on an army base. I've been doing obstacle courses since I could walk."

He studied me. "You're pretty resourceful," he admitted. "I would say that you might be a daughter of Athena, but you don't have grey eyes."

"I know," I said. "I'm a daughter of Nike. My name's Stella, by the way."

"I know," he said. "Everyone's been chanting your name for the past five minutes. I'm Nico di Angelo. Son of Hades."

"Shocker," I mumbled.

"Hey!" he said, offended.

"Well, it's not like you're a son of Apollo," I reasoned.

"Thank gods," he muttered.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, I have to go train. See you around."

"Don't count on it," Nico mumbled.


	2. Chapter 2: My Mother Speaks To Me

STELLA MATTHEWS

As I went to bed a few nights later, I could tell it was going to be a 'dream night.' It's pretty self-explanitory what it meant. I was going to have a dream.

 _*beginning of dream*_

 _I was sitting on a pier, watching the waves pass. When I looked up at the sky, I saw a figure slowly floating down. She had wings, and bore a slight resembelance to me. When she reached the ground, I said, "Nike."_

 _"Yes, my child. It is me," Nike said. Well, duh, I figured that out on my own._

 _"I have a . . . quest for you," she continued. "My symbol, a palm branch, is missing. Somewhere in Europe."_

 _"Was it stolen?"_

 _"I do not know," she said. "But it is in your hands to find it, amd bring it to Olympus."_

 _"You don't have a throne on Olympus," I reminded her. She nodded._

 _"I know that," she said, her tone reminding me a little of mine. "Give it to Zeus. Remember this, Stella. I will be leaving you a map of where to look."_

 _*end of dream*_

I sat up in bed, wondering it it was true. I looked under my bed and saw a glowing map of Europe.

It was real. I was going on a quest.


	3. Chapter 3: I Run Into Percy And Nico

**Chapter 3: I Run Into Percy and Nico. . . Literally**

 **STELLA MATTHEWS**

I quickly packed a bag with clothes, weapons, my demigod phone, ambrosia and nectar, drachmas, and the map. I dressed in a camo shirt, black jeans, combats boots, and a jacket. (Nike, of course. My mother kept the cabin stocked with all sorts of Nike items.) I headed out the door, a little worried, but not really.

My feet carried faster and faster, until I was sprinting. That also meant I wasn't looking where I was going, and I ran right into the son of Hades, knocking him down.

"Watch where you're going!" we yelled at same time.

"What are you doing out here?" Nico asked. "It's past midnight!"

"What are YOU doing out here?" I shot back.

"I asked you first."

"Fine," I huffed. "My mother came to me in a dream and told me to find her missing symbol, which is in Europe, and return it to Olympus. See, here's the map." I pulled the glowing piece of paper out of my bag and showed it to him.

"You can't go alone," he said. "You'll get killed."

"That's what they said when I did the obstacle course," I reminded him. "And we all know how THAT turned out."

"That was an obstacle course!" he cried. "You're going to Europe alone!"

"Then come with!" I snapped. "Pack a bag and hurry up!" He shadow traveled to his cabin and came back quickly holding a backpack. "Let's go," I huffed.

It doesn't take to long before we run into Percy Jackson. _Not someone else_ , I thought.

"What are you two doing?" he asked. I quickly explained, and he promptly said, "I'm coming."

"Why?" Nico asked.

"Because neither of you have been on a quest," he said. "And, plus, we're going to need to get over the ocean. Nico isn't strong enough to shadow-travel all of us."

He did have a point. "Fine," I said. "You can come." He ran to his cabin and got a bag, and came back quickly.

 **NICO DI ANGELO**

Before the three of us left, we took a look at the map. "There's three missing palm leaves from the branch. Then, after we get those, we'll head to Italy to get the branch," Stella said. I found myself looking at her. She'd obviously just woken up, and her black curls were pulled in a hasty ponytail. Her bright greenish-blue eyes were wide and alert, though.

"How do we get there?" I asked. "Take a plane?"

"Or a boat," Percy suggested. "I have my boating liscence."

"Duh," Stella said. "You're the son of Poseidon."

"I vote boat," I said. "I've never been on a plane."

"Me either," Stella said. "Let's take a boat."

"One question," Percy said. "How do we get one?'

Stella grinned evilly. "Easy," she said. "We steal one."

 **AN: The reason I'm updating fast is because I had a bunch of chapters written. Once I'm done updating those, I'll try to update once a week.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4: Nico Falls Off A Pier

Thank you to Madgirl031 for reviewing, and everyone else who has viewed my story.

 **Chapter 4: Nico Falls Off A Pier**

 **NICO DI ANGELO**

"You want us to steal a boat?" Percy asked in disbelief.

"Sure," Stella said. "I hotwired a car once. What's the big deal?" Percy shook his head.

"Okay," he said finally. "There's a dock about thirty miles from here, on the ocean. Nico, can you shadow travel us?"

I thought for a moment. I could probably, but I would likely pass out. "Yeah," I replied. "I'm going to pass out, though, so you better be ready."

I wrapped an arm around Stella's waist, and grabbed Percy's wrist with the other. "Close your eyes," I advised Stella, and she squeezed them shut.

 **STELLA MATTHEWS**

Shadow traveling was freaky. I'm not even kidding. There were whispers everywhere, and it was hot and cold at the same time. I never opened my eyes until I heard a familiar voice.

"Stella . . . Stell, we're here." I forced my eyes open and saw that we were standing on a pier. The second that Nico took his arm from my waist, he closed his eyes and fell. Unfortunately, over the edge of the pier.

"Nico!" I yelled. Percy and I each grabbed one of his arms and pulled him back onto the pier. He was still unconscious, but breathing.

I turned to Percy. "What do we do know?"

"Just wait," he assured me. "He'll come to."

Percy was right. About ten minutes later, Nico's brown eyes opened and he started to cough. "I told you I would pass out," he said. I helped him stand up. He was shivering.

"Let's find a hotel," I said. "Or someplace to sleep. We should leave in the morning." We walked for about fifteen minutes until we passed a hotel. "There," I said. I handed Percy money to get us a room.

Nico and I sat in chairs. "So, why did you pass out?" I asked him, my voice quiet.

"Shadow traveling really drains you," he replied, his voice matching the level of mind. "I do it a lot, and it's really not good."

I eyed him. _That must be one of the reasons why he's so skinny,_ I thought, but didn't say anything.

Percy came back and handed me the money back. "The dude was a demigod!" he whispered. "Gave us a room for free."

"Cool," I said. "Now let's go. People are probably wondering Nico is soaking wet when it's not even —" I got cut off with a huge crack of thunder. "Never mind."

Percy led us to a small room that was pretty good quality. There was just one problem. There was only one bed.

"Well, this is fucked," I said to nobody in particular.


	5. Chapter 5: We Attract A Fury (Part 1)

**Note: This chapter contains a lot of back-and-forth dialogue between Nico and Stella. And, this chapter will be split into two parts.**

 **Chapter 5: Our Arguing Brings In A Fury (Part One)**

 **PERCY JACKSON**

"I'll sleep on the floor," I volunteered. Stella and Nico glanced at each other awkwardly.

"I'll take the bed," Stella said. Nico glared at her.

"How come you get it?" he complained.

"Because I called it," Stella said matter-of-factly.

"No you didn't," Nico said. "You just said that you'll take it."

"That also means that I called it!"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Yes, it does!"

"In what world?"

"My world!"

"You don't have a world!"

"This bed is my world!"

"Fine," Nico said. "The bed is queen-sized. You take that side."

"Fine," Stella said. "But do NOT cross that line."

 **STELLA MATTHEWS**

I walked to the hotel bathroom and pulled on shorts and a tank top. Basically my pajamas. When I came out, Nico was lying on his side of the bed. I climbed in beside him, and moved over as far as I could. When I looked over at him, he was wearing nothing but his boxers.

"Holy Styx!" I yelled. "Put some clothes on!"

"This is how a lot of boys sleep," he said.

"Not in my bed! At least put a shirt on!"

"Nah, I'm good."

I groaned. "Damn. And you're REALLY skinny, by the way." It was true. I could count all of his ribs, but I was surprised to see that he had visible muscles on his arms, and a toned stomach.

"Gee, I hadn't noticed."

"Guys!" Percy exclaimed. "Why are you arguing like this? You were getting alone fine before! Now shut up before you wake somebody up."

As if on cue, there was an angry-sounding knock at the door. Percy glared at them, and answered it. An angry middle-aged woman stood in the doorway. She looked mad. Really mad.

"Sorry," I said. "Were we too loud?"

"Yes," the woman said. "I'm a teacher, and do you know what I do to students who are too loud? Especially ones that are . . . half bloods." Her eyes glowed red.

I gulped. "Give them detention?" Nico elbowed md. "Ow!"

"No . . ." the woman said. "I KILL THEM!"

Right before our eyes, she morphed into a fury. I pulled out her knife, and Nico grabbed his Stygian sword. Percy uncapped Riptide, but before Percy could attack the fury, I stood up on the bed and jumped onto the fury's back. "Stella!" Nico yelled. "What are you doing?"

I didn't answer. The fury reached its claw up and scratched my leg with a lot of force. I shrieked and stabbed the fury in the back with her knife. The fury made a groaning noise and fell to the ground and turned to dust, though not before biting my shoulder.

I groaned and fell onto the bed. Nico rushed to me. "Why did you do that?" he asked. "You could have gotten yourself KILLED."

I punched him in the shoulder. "Shut up and bandage my leg and shoulder."

"Well, excuse me," Nico said. He draped one of my arms over his shoulder and helped me limp to the bathroom.

 **NICO DI ANGELO**

As I began to bandage Stella's shoulder and leg, I heard a muffled, but familiar voice coming from outside the hotel room door. "Are you kids okay in there?"

I could almost feel Percy's panic. "Um . . . yeah . . . My, uh, friend, Stella, just, uh, fell . . . You okay in there, Stella?"

I spoke before Stella could, in a high voice. "Doing fine, Percy!"

"I don't talk like that!"

"Yes, you do!"

The woman outside the door spoke again. "Percy?" The hotel room door opened.

"MOM?!" Percy exclaimed.

"Sally?" I called. Stella punched me in the shoulder again.

"Hurry up, Nico! I'm dying here!"

"No you're not! It's just a few scratches!"

"I can't even stand!"

"Not my fault you jumped on the fury's back."

"At least I wasn't the one who fell off the pier."

"I wouldn't if you hadn't made me shadow travel!" I protested.

Percy spoke up from outside the door. "My mom wants to see you guys."

"But I can't walk!"

"And I'm not wearing a shirt!"

"Well then carry her," he said. "And Nico . . . I have no idea what to say. You have weird priorities."

"I told you to put one on BEFORE the fury attacked," Stella said. "But NOOO . . ."

"Fine. I'll carry you."

"You couldn't possibly. You're too weak."

"Am not!"

"Really? You weigh like —" I covered her mouth with my hand.

"You don't know how much I weigh!"

"I can take a wild guess!"

"Let's hear it."

"GUYS!" Percy ran into the bathroom. "Would you shut up?! Stella, just let Nico carry you or I will." That did it. I picked a complaining Stella up bridal style.


	6. Chapter 5 (Part 2)

**This is the last of the already-written chapters. I will try to update by Wednesday, but I may come later**

 **Thanks for reading**

 **PART TWO**

 **STELLA MATTHEWS**

"Mom," Percy said. "You know Nico, right? This is Stella. Daughter of Nike."

I waved while squirming in Nico's arms. "Hi, Mrs. Jackson." Now all I could think of was Panic! At The Disco.

"Please, call me Sally," she said. "And, um, Nico, it's very nice to see you, too. With such lovely clothes on." Nico's face turned red.

"I TOLD you to at LEAST put a shirt on," I said.

"Okay, fine. You were right." I smirked.

"Sorry for waking you, Mom," Percy said.

"It wasn't your fault," Sally assured us. "What was your guys' quest?"

"My mother's symbol, a palm branch, is missing," I told her. "We're heading to Europe to get the missing leaves from it back, then find the branch." She nodded.

"What are you doing here?" Nico asked. "You live a while's away."

"Paul and I are here for a writing convention," she explained. "Some authors will be speaking." We nodded. "I should let you guys go to sleep. Seems like quite the quest," she said. "It was nice seeing you again, Nico. And it's nice to meet you, Stella."

"Nice to meet you, too." She left.

"Mom was right," Percy said. "Let's get some sleep."

"Um, hello?" I said. "Still bleeding, here!" Nico rolled his eyes and handed me some ambrosia and a bandage.

"Knock yourself out," he said.

"Gee, thanks," I said sarcastically. I ate a few bites of the ambrosia and smiled at the taste of warm chocolate chip cookies - something I rarely got on the army base. I bandaged the fading wound on my shoulder and got to work on my leg.

Once I was done, I climbed into the bed next to Nico. He was sleeping, and looked calm for once, reminding me of the 'Angel' from his last name, di Angelo.

I didn't really know why I was fighting with him earlier. It felt sort of natural. I didn't really mean what I said, but I didn't know if Nico did or not.

I think I fell asleep eventually because I woke up to sobbing. "Nico?" I said. He thrashed in his sleep. I laid a hand on his arm to steady him. His tearstained brown eyes opened. "What's going on?"

He shut his eyes again. "Ni . . . nightmares." His voice trembled.

I sat up and placed my hands firmly on his shoulders. "Tell me," I said.

He shook his head. "I can't," he sputtered. "It's too hard. And you hate me."

"Nico," I said. "Just because we argue doesn't mean that I hate you. And would never, ever, tease you at a time like this. You can tell me anything."

He took a deep breath. "My sister . . . my other one, Bianca. She was sitting by a river with Zoë Nightshade, and I walked up to her and tried to talk to her. She laughed at me and pushed me away. She said . . ." His voice cracked. "She said that I deserved the life I had. She said that I deserved to feel the way I do."

I could feel the pain in the way he talked. I glanced over at where Percy was sleeping. He was out like a light. I turned back to Nico. "Look," I said. "I don't know who Bianca is, and I don't know what you've been through. But you sure as fuck don't deserve it. I'm sorry for everything that's happened to you."

Nico finally looked into my eyes. "Thank you," he said. "I really appreciate that."

I smiled at him and took my hands away from his shoulders. Then I did something I didn't expect myself to do. I hugged him. He was surprised at first, but then hugged me back.

When I pulled away, I said, "Let's not talk about what just happened around Percy."

"Agreed," he said, then laid back down. I did the same, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

 **NICO DI ANGELO**

When I woke up in the morning, Stella was frowning at the map, and Percy was snoring. Shocker.

Stella looked up. "Hey," she said. I mumbled a greeting just as my demigod phone rang. Annabeth.

"Shit," I muttered. "We never told anyone that we were going." I answered the phone with a "Hehe . . . Hey Annabeth. Uh, how's it going?"

She was practically screaming. "Where's Percy? Where's Stella? Where are YOU?"

"In a hotel room," I said. "We're on a quest."

"And you NEVER TOLD ANYBODY? Half the camp is looking for you guys! What quest? There was no prophecy!" I explained about Stella's dream, and the map, and how we got here.

"Can I at least talk to Seaweed Brain?" she pleaded. I handed the phone to Stella, who threw it at Percy's face.

"Wake up," she said. "Your girlfriend's on the phone."

After they talked for a while, Percy finally hung up after saying about a million, 'I Love You's,' which made Stella almost gag.

"So, captain Stella . . ." Percy said. "Where to first?"

She glanced at the map. "Ireland," she said. Then she sat up straighter. "Let's go over something. What languages, besides Greek and English, do you guys speak?"

"Italian," I said. She nodded.

"One of the leaves is there. That's good. What about you, Fish Face?"

Percy thought for a moment. "Horse," he said finally. "And fish."

"Gee, that'll come in handy," Stella said sarcastically. "So, we can talk to people in Ireland, Italy, and the ocean and the stables."

"You're Irish?" I asked. Stella nodded. "But you don't look Irish. And you don't have an accent."

"So what? You're Italian and white as a ghost." She had a point. "Anyway, we should leave soon." She left to check out of the hotel while Percy and I got dressed.

"You like her, don't you?" Percy said suddenly while we waited for Stella.

"As a friend, yeah," I said. He chuckled.

"Not what I meant, and you know it," he said. "But, seriously. I think you do. It's not bad. She's pretty cute."

Yeah. She was, actually, with her raven black curls and green-blue eyes. She had this splash of freckles on her nose and cheeks. She was slightly pale, but nowhere near as pale as I was. I didn't tell Percy this, though.

Just then, Stella walked in. "Let's go," she said, and started to limp out the door.

"Hold up," I said, and grabbed the back of her shirt, pulling her back. "Forgetting something?"

"Oh, right," Stella said, and grabbed her bag. "Now, let's go steal a boat!"


	7. Chapter 6: The First Leaf

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say that if you like my story, please R &R! I love to hear what you guys think!**

 **STELLA MATTHEWS**

"I am NOT taking that thing!"

The boat that Percy "found" was small. It was a sailboat, at the most. "Can't you shadow travel us?" I pleaded.

Nico thought for a moment. "I'm going to warn you again. I WILL pass out. Especially if we're going this far."

"Fine," I said. "Just don't fall off a pier this time."

"Will you EVER let that go?" Nico said, annoyed.

"No," I said plainly. "If you shadow travel us, MAYBE . . ."

Nico rolled his eyes and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer. I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to ignore the whispers I kept hearing. This time was even scarier than the first time. Without realizing what I was doing, I buried my head in Nico's shoulder and clutched his arm, never wanting to let go.

"Stella," someone whispered. Thinking we were still in the shadows, I shook my head.

"Stella. Stell. Victory Girl. STELLA. We're here." I lifted my head from Nico's shoulder. His hair was windblown, and he looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa . . ." Percy said. Nico staggered.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" he protested. Percy and I each grabbed one of his arms. He went limp, but his eyes were still slightly open. "At least . . . at least I didn't fall off the pier this time . . ." were his last words before his eyes closed and his head dropped.

 **NICO DI ANGELO**

My eyes opened slowly. "Where the fuck am I?" I asked.

Stella glanced up from her magazine. "Hospital," she said. "You've been out for, like . . ." She checked her watch. "Twenty-six hours. We told them you . . ."

"Let me guess," I interrupted. "You told them I fell off a pier."

She grinned. "You know me too well. Yes, I did. By the way, Percy's at the hotel room"

"Why aren't you?"

"They said someone from your family had to stay," she said. "So, I told them I was your sister."

"You didn't!" She laughed. "And they believed you? We're the same age."

Stella nodded. "It wasn't my idea. The receptionist asked if we were twins, probably because our hair and the fact that we were both wearing Green Day shirts, and I was like, 'Uh, sure . . ." I shook my head.

"I swear, Stella Matthews, you will be the death of me."

"Hey!" she said. "My last name is di Angelo for now." Before I could answer, a nurse walked in.

"Are you the di Angelo's?" she asked. I hadn't heard 'di Angelo's' since Bianca died. Stella didn't know about her yet, but I would have to tell her at some point.

Stella nodded, holding back a smile. "Yes," she said. "That's, um, us."

"Well, Nico, you're almost ready to go. I just need to check to make sure you have no injuries." Her voice had an Irish accent to it, and it hit me. We were in IRELAND. Not America.

The nurse took the sheets away. I pulled off my shirt reluctantly. Stella tried not to laugh. I glared at her and turned my head to her so that the nurse couldn't see. _If you make ONE comment_ , I mouthed. _You will DIE._

"You have no external injuries," the nurse said. "But, by the looks of it, you're underweight. But, there's nothing we can really do about it." Stella held back laughter. "You're free to go."

"Finally!" I crowed as we walked out off the hospital. "That was horrible."

"You slept for over a day, then were checked for injuries," Stella said. "I was the one who had to sleep in a hospital chair. And, I had to pretend to be YOUR TWIN SISTER. You won't believe the stuff I had to fill out."

"I honestly don't want to know," I said. Stella laughed, her blue-green eyes shining.

We walked for a while, sort of bumping shoulders. A slutty-looking girl walked up to us, smiling. She was blonde and tan, and she was wearing a pink dress that showed a LOT more than it was supposed to.

"Well, hello," she said to me. I almost gagged. Stella stiffened.

The girl came closer to me. "I'm single, you know," she said. "For now. So if you act soon, you might get me. Would you like to go out with me? You're hot. Like me."

I didn't answer her question. "Um, you don't look Irish," I said.

"I'm not," she said, and ran her fingers up my shoulder. "My family's visiting. That's why I don't look like . . ." She glared at Stella. ". . . those Irish people."

Stella was about ready to punch her in the face. "Is she your sister?" the girl said. "You OBVIOUSLY got the better looks of the family." I glanced at Stella. She shook her head the tiniest bit.

"No," I said. "She's my girlfriend, actually."

The girl narrowed her eyes. "Really now? Let's get some proof."

Stella smirked. "Fine," she said. "You want proof?"

Stella grabbed my shirt collar, pulling me closer, then kissed me. She wrapped her arms around my neck, and I snaked an arm around her waist. I could almost feel the slutty girl's rage.

When Stella pulled away, she glared at the girl. "I'd advise you to leave," she said. The girl sputtered, then stormed off. Neither of us said anything aat first.

"That was, um, interesting," Stella said. I bit my lip.

"Yeah," I agreed. "How about we NEVER talk about that. Ever."

"Sounds good to me."

But the thing is, I was prepared to be disgusted by kissing Stella. I mean, yeah, she's okay, but she's just a friend.

I wasn't disgusted. The kiss wasn't bad, in fact.

It was really, really good.

But I had no idea if Stella felt the same way.

 **PERCY JACKSON**

When Stella and Nico came back to the hotel room, they were acting strange. Really strange. They weren't arguing. They kept glancing at each other. When I asked what happened, they both yelled, "NOTHING!"

Stella looked at the map. "There's writing on it," she said. "It says, 'The first leaf will be found at the festival of music and dance.' What's that?"

Nico shrugged. "I don't know." Stella looked out the window.

"Let's walk around and see if we find a festival, or something."

Nico and I nodded. We walked out of the hotel, and down the streets of Ireland. It was starting to rain. Stella was shivering.

We didn't see anything at first. Stella was like a hawk, noticing ever little detail. "There!" she said. I looked to where she was pointing, and saw girls dancing on a stage. A crowd of people was there, watching and laughing. The girls dancing were wearing costumes with green leaves on them. None of the leaves were glowing, though.

"Stella," Nico said. "Go backstage and look for extra costumes. The leaf might be on one of them." Stella nodded, and dashed behind the stage. After a few minutes, she came back, cupping something in her palm. I could see a faint glow showing through her small hand.

"This is it," she said. "The first leaf."

 **So, I've seen a lot of people saying that EVERY Imagine Dragons song is about Nico. I honestly don't see it. Only Demons, maybe. But I think that the song Misguided Ghosts by Paramore or Therapy are basically Nico's anthems.**

 _ **'Well, now I'm told that this is life and pain is just a simple compromise, so we can get what we want out of it. Would someone care to classify a broken heart and twisted mind, so I can find someone to rely on? And run, to them, to them, full speed ahead. Oh, you are not worthless. We're all just misguided ghosts.'**_

 ** _'Arrogant boy, love yourself so no one has to. They're better off without you. Arrogant boy, cause a scene like you're supposed to. They'll fall asleep without you. You're lucky if your memory remains.'_**


	8. Chapter 7: I Bond With Nico

**Author's note: Thank you for reviewing! I appreciate it!**

 **I loved writing this chapter. It's pretty sad, but mostly bittersweet. More will come by Sunday or Monday. I'm not very busy this week, aside from tennis and swimming.**

 **STELLA MATTHEWS**

"We've got this room for tonight," Percy said. "So we might as well use it." This one had two beds, luckily. Fish Face finally learned.

As if reading my thoughts, Nico said, "As least you got us one with two beds, Jackson."

"Um, I don't know if you guys realized this, but someone's gonna have to share or sleep on the floor. And I am NOT doing that again," Percy said.

"Neither am I," Nico said.

"Neither am I," I huffed.

"Oh, we are NOT having this argument again," Percy warned.

I rolled my eyes. "Same as last time?" I said to Nico. He nodded. "But you are PUTTING A SHIRT ON this time."

Nico held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, okay!" Percy laid down on his bed.

"Ah, so nice to have a whole QUEEN SIZED bed to MYSELF."

"Oh, shut it!" Nico and I said at the same time. I looked at him and laughed.

We listened to music for a while. (Luckily, our music tastes was pretty similar, although Percy didn't get my obsession with All Time Low). Percy, apparantly ruler of all, decided that we all should go to bed.

"Why do we have to listen to you?" I whined.

"Because I'm older, and taller. Seriously. I feel like a giant. You're like, five-two, Stella, and Nico's like, five-seven."

"Five-six," Nico mumbled.

"See?" Percy said. I reluctantly got into the bed, and Nico crawled in beside me. We weren't as far away this time. I didn't even give him a line to not cross. It took awhile before I fell asleep, but when I did, I had a dream.

 _*beginning of dream*_

 _I saw a laughing little boy with olive skin and silky dark hair run around with an older girl who I assumed was his sister. The scene changed, and I saw the boy in other places with his sister. I found myself smiling._

 _Soon, the girl disappeared, and I saw the boy yelling at someone. Percy. The boy ran away. The next thing I saw was the boy again. He had gotten taller, thinner, and paler. There were dark circles under his eyes. That's when it hit me. This boy was Nico._

 _I saw the world through Nico's eyes. Tartarus. Stuck in a bronze jar. People taunting him, teasing him in a cruel way, pushing him. I wanted to stop them, reach out and pull Nico away._

 _But I couldn't._

 _I couldn't get to Nico. I wanted to scream and cry out for him._

 _But I couldn't._

 _*end of dream*_

When I woke up, I was sweating. I turned to Nico for comfort, but he wasn't there. I checked my phone. It was five-fifteen A.M.

I glanced over, and saw Nico on the balcony, looking out at Ireland. I grabbed my iPod and headed out to see him. He was startled at the sound of the door, but his expression softened when he saw me. "Hey," I said softly, and stood next to me.

"What're you doing out here so early?" he asked.

"Nightmare," I whispered. "What about you?"

"Insomnia," he said. "I get it a lot." I nodded, seeing him differently, seeing what he had been through.

"You know, I don't know much about you," I said. "You're not exactly an open book."

He didn't say anything for a moment. "I was born in Italy," he said. "That's all I remember from before I was ten. I had a sister named Bianca. After Zeus killed my mother, she was all I had. We got stuck in the Lotus Casino for seventy years until we got out and went to a boarding school.

"Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, and Grover came to take us to Camp Half-Blood. The hunters came, and they recruited my sister. I was mad at her. She was all I had left, my only living family. And she just left me alone.

"Then she went on a quest with Zoë, Percy, Thalia, and Grover. She . . . she died on the quest. When Percy told me, I blamed him. I blamed me, for some reason. I hated him. I hated myself. I still do, sometimes. I changed after that. Never smiled, dressed in black. I didn't look Italian anymore. I spent most of my time in the Underworld. I didn't like taking to people, and I rarely ate.

"Then I went through Tartarus. Alone. And I was trapped in a bronze jar and used as bait. After that, I was looking pretty dead. Even paler, never talked, never ate, never slept. I was way, way, way worse than I am now.

"People teased me. They pushed me around, made fun of me. Still do, actually. I just learned to ignore it."

He was fighting back tears. His brown eyes looked like broken glass. I wanted to hug him, tell him it would be okay. I didn't though. I knew that Nico wasn't the kind of guy who enjoyed human contact.

"You . . . you hate yourself?" I asked quietly.

Nico closed his eyes. "Yes," he said carefully. "Sometimes. It's hard to explain."

"Don't blame yourself," I said. "It wasn't your fault. It wasn't Percy's either."

He nodded. "I know," he said. "I stopped blaming Percy a long time ago."

"But . . . still yourself?"

Nico shrugged. "She didn't want to take care of me anymore. She was tired of acting like my parent." He looked down. "I don't want to talk about this anymore. Tell me about you."

I thought for a moment. "I lived on a military base," I said. "Um, I could roundhouse kick you in the face if I felt like it, which I don't. Thalia tried to recruit me for the Hunters."

Nico looked over at me. "She did?" I nodded.

"I was actually considering it. I knew I wasn't cut out for love. Boys at my old school were literally AFRAID of me."

"Afraid of you?"

"Well, a few of liked me, I guess. Up until seventh grade, when I punched Derrick Jones in the face when he was about to kiss me. He got a black eye and I got suspended. And I may have flipped him off afterwards."

"And you were twelve?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

My hand moved closer to his on the edge of the balcony. Nico moved his so that it was lying on top of mine, and our fingers interlocked. The sun began to rise and was soon covered by clouds. A few raindrops came down, but I didn't mind.

"You know something?" I said, turning to Nico. "I've never seen you smile. This whole quest."

Nico looked down. "I don't smile much. At all, actually."

"You should," I said softly. "I'd like that."


	9. Chapter 8

NICO DI ANGELO

I looked over at Stella. "Well, don't get your hopes up. It's probably not going to happen. It's nothing personal."

Then I let go of her hand and walked back inside. She sighed and followed me. I sat down on our bed and didn't say anything. Percy was still asleep. "Nico," Stella said gently, sitting down next to me. "I know you've been through a lot. You have every right to be angry at the world. But someday, you gotta let that anger go. It's not going to do you any good."

Then she threw a pillow at Percy and yelled, "WAKE UP, FISH FACE!"

Leaving me to think about what she said.

 _You gotta let that anger go._

* * *

Before I had a chance to say anything else, Percy groaned and fell off the bed. "Stella . . ." he whined. "It's too early to wake up."

"We've been up since, like, five," Stella said. "So be a man and get off the floor."

"I don't want to be a man if it means I have to get up."

"Then be like Nico! He's not a man and he got up."

"Okay, I'm offended." Godsdamn. I swear, sometimes this girl acted like she actually cared about me and sometimes she acted like she hated my guts. I just wanted to scream, 'MAKE UP YOUR MIND!'

As we packed our stuff, we discussed ideas of transportation. "I'm not shadow traveling us again," I warned. Stella and Percy seemed to agree with this.

"So it's either take a plane, or call on the Grey Sisters," Percy said.

"Grey Sisters," Stella and I said simultaneously. She looked over at me and laughed.

* * *

As we stood, shivering, in an empty field, Stella threw a drachma on the ground and started chanting. Soon, there was a crashing sound as a worn-out grey taxi flew into view. I winced as it hit the ground.

An extremely old lady with two eye sockets but only one eye stuck her head out the broken window. "Got some drachma to pay, demigods?"

Stella dug into her bag and pulled out a handful of drachma. "Stole some from the Hermes cabin," she said, grinning.

The lady winked. Or blinked. I couldn't tell. "Ooh, I like her. She pays good. Hop in."

We climbed into the taxi. Stella had the unfortunate middle seat. "Where can we take you, half-bloods?" one of the sisters asked.

Stella looked at the map. "Um, London?"

The sister grinned. "Of course! But it'll cost you!"

The car flew upwards and veered to the right. Stella grabbed my hand and held it so tight that I thought it would cut off my circulation. I groaned in pain, but when we started flying faster, she only held on tighter.

The ride took about two hours. When it was over, Stella handed the sisters more drachma and loosened her grip on my hand. We climbed out of the taxi and got settled on the ground. Stella looked around for a few minutes, then checked her phone.

"This is it," she said. "We're in England."

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **This chapter is kind of a filler, sorry. I just needed them to get to the next country.**

 **So, since reviews make me really happy, I've decided something new. I'll update the next chapter, (which is almost finished, BTW) when I get a certain number of reviews. This time, it's gonna be 22. PLEASE REVIEW.**


	10. Chapter 9

**Author's Note:**

 **For any of you wattpadders, check out the story: To Kill a Demigod by TheDaughterOfHermes. It's only been one chapter and I already love it. It deserves more views.**

 **STELLA MATTHEWS**

Percy went to check out the city while Nico and I studied the map, sitting on a park bench. I wasn't paying much attention to it, though. It was hard to concentrate. Part of it was the ADHD, part of it was . . . well, I didn't really know.

Nico and I weren't looking at each other (at least, that's what I thought), but when I glanced over at him, he had his eyes fixed on me.

"What are you looking at?"

Nico's face turned red. "Sorry. I'm a little OCD." He reached his hand to my long, straight bangs that were swept to one side of my forehead. He moved them so they weren't covering part of my eye now. "There."

"Wow," I said. "Nico di Angelo, the fearless Ghost King, is bothered by my hair?"

"Yes," he said. "Shut up."

I laughed and shook my head so that my bangs fell over my eye again. I saw the hint of a smile appear on Nico's face, but it was gone so fast I might have imagined it.

Percy walked over after a few minutes. "Hey," he said, "I want food."

"Nice greeting," I said, laughing. Nico rolled his eyes.

"Seriously," Percy said. "We've barely eaten this whole quest."

"He's right," Nico said. "Not that I each much anyway."

I shrugged. "I could eat."

"Then let's go!" Percy said. I laughed again and grabbed Nico's hand.

We walked around for a while until Percy found a McDonald's. Not my favorite, but it was better than nothing. It was extremely crowded, and it took a while before they finally took our order. Percy got a hamburger and fries, I got a milkshake, and Nico got a glass of water. Yep.

"Dude," I said as we sat down. "Is that seriously all you're going to have?"

"Yeah," he said, like 'duh.' I rolled my eyes and told the boys that I had to go to the bathroom.

When I walked in, it was completely empty. Not a good sign.

I slowly crept down the line of stalls, thinking I was in the clear when three empousani came out of nowhere. I cursed under my breath as their sickly sweet smiles morphed into a huge grin, complete with fangs. Their perfectly manicured fingers elongated so that they were huge, sharp claws.

The leader of the empousani moved so quickly that I could barely see her, and she ended up inches away from me.

"Hello, demigod," she said. I started to grab my knife, but she ran her sharp claws down my shoulder, reopening the old wound. I cried out in pain, and stumbled.

My mouth formed Nico's name, but an empousani clamped a hand over it. "Nobody's going to save you, half-blood," she said. "You're weaponless and defensiveless."

"No," I snarled, "I'm not."

I pulled away from her grasp, wincing at the pain, and stepped on her foot. She remained immobile long enough for me to pull a knife out and stab her in the heart. She crumpled to the ground and melted into dust. I took a deep breath and slashed at the next empousani. She dodged, and scratched at my chest with her hideous claws. I fell to the ground and curled into a fetal position. The empousani kicked me with her donkey leg and sank her claws into my leg. I groaned and cried out for Nico, right before my world went black.


	11. Chapter 10

**NICO DI ANGELO**

I heard a familar voice screaming my name coming from the girl's bathroom. Percy and I locked eyes.

"Stella," I said urgently, realizing that the whole place had emptied. Percy and I jumped up and ran to the bathroom. Two empousani stood over a thin body that was curled up, unconscious.

"Oh my gods," Percy said, and uncapped Riptide. My first instinct was not to fight them. It was to protect Stella. As Percy fought off the empousani, I grabbed her arms and pulled her away. Her eyes were closed, and her chest was moving, but only slightly. Her wound from the fury was reopened, and there was a huge gash on her torso.

I pulled some nectar and ambrosia from my bag and moved Stella into a sitting position and leaned her against the wall. Her long, dark eyelashes fluttered slightly, and her head slumped against my shoulder.

"C'mon, Stella," I said as Percy fought the empousani. Stella didn't move, but I knew I had to stop the blood running down her stomach. I poured a little nectar on the ugly wound, and it faded slightly, but the blood was still flowing. Her shirt was in tatters, and covered in bloodstains.

I took some bandages and got to work to stop the blood. After a few minutes, Percy was done with the empousani. He walked over, and I saw that he had no real injuries.

"Yikes," he said, looking at Stella. "That's pretty bad."

"I know," I replied. "She'll be waking up soon." I turned to look, and saw that the daughter of Nike hadn't moved an inch. "I hope."

My hopes were answered, and a little while later, Stella's big, bright eyes opened. She groggily blinked a few times, then slowly lifted her head from my shoulder. She clenched her face, and I realized that she must be in pain.

"Oh, gods," I said. "Are you okay?"

She closed her eyes for a second. "I don't know . . . it's just . . . what happened? I can't remember much."

"Empousani," I said. "Three of them. They scratched you pretty good."

Stella looked down at her chest and stomach and winced. A few tears escaped from her eyes. She buried her face in my chest, and, not knowing what to do, I put my arm around her.

"It hurts," she sobbed. "It hurts."

I looked over at Percy. "Something's not right," I said. "The nectar didn't work."

Percy's face paled. "What should we do?"

I thought for a moment. "Give me some ambrosia."

Percy handed me some, and I held it up to Stella.

"Hey," I said, gently lifting her head up from my chest. "Can you eat this? Please?"

Stella opened her eyes slowly and nodded ever so slightly. She unclutched my shirt and took the ambrosia, which she slowly put in her mouth.

Nothing happened at first. Stella closed her eyes and buried her face in my shirt again. Her breathing slowed slightly, and her chest stopped rattling with each rise and fall of it.

"Stella?" I said.

Nothing.

"Stella?" I said, more urgently.

Percy gently pulled Stella away from my grasp and laid her on the ground. He took her wrist and held it, checking her pulse. I looked over at him, pleading.

"She's breathing," he said. "Maybe the ambrosia is just taking a while to kick in."

I bit my lip. "I hope so."

A minute later, Stella's fingers twitched. I held my breath.

Her eyelashes fluttered, and her blue-green eyes opened. I let all my breath out at once, relieved.

She lifted her head slightly and glanced around. Before I knew what I was doing, I pulled her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around my back and cried again.

I pulled away and looked straight into those beautiful eyes of hers.

Wait . . . where did that come from?

Sure, I always thought she was cute, but . . . beautiful?

Yes, I suddenly thought. She is.

Then... I didn't know what came over me. I was still staring right at her, our faces inches apart. Percy had gone out of the room.

I leaned in and kissed her. Right on the lips.

 **Author's Note:**

 **AAHHHHHH HE FINALLY KISSED HER. FOR REAL THIS TIME.**

 **Anyway, you should check out the story, To Kill a Demigod (a Nico di Angelo love story) by TheDaughterOfHermes on Wattpad.**

 **Only one chapter in but it's really good and deserves more reads.**


	12. Chapter 11

**NICO DI ANGELO**

had one thought running through my head. Why did I do that? Stella had pulled away first, a surprised look on her face. I didn't blame her. She had just been attacked by empousani, and here I was kissing her.

"Nico?" she whispered. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know," I admitted. "I'm really sorry. It was kind of impulse and ... sorry."

Stella stood up slowly. "Okay," she said finally. "I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Then she walked out of the bathroom, frowning.

I was glad she had turned away, so she couldn't see the pain in my eyes.

I might have ruined what little we had of a friendship.

Percy rented a car for us, since Stella was in no shape to do anything. She staggered slightly when she walked, and her eyes weren't as bright. In the car, she turned away towards the window, refusing to look at me, and plugged in her earbuds.

"You OK, Stella?" Percy asked.

She silently nodded, closing her eyes. In a few minutes, her breathing slowed, and I could tell she was asleep. She looked a million times more peaceful, and I almost smiled.

Almost.

I had to remind myself that this was the girl who practically broke my heart. The one who hardly thought of me as a friend, let alone more than that.

As Percy tried to find a hotel for us to stay at, I tried to push Stella out of my mind. I was used to being rejected, pushed away, but sometimes it seemed like Stella was the only one who REALLY cared.

Now, there was no one.

That night, Stella moved as far away from me as she could get on the bed again, like she had the first night. She hadn't spoken a single word to me or Percy, and she hadn't smiled, or made a single joke about me falling off the pier.

It dawned on me that it was my fault she was like this.

"Dude," Percy whispered the next morning. "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything!"

Percy raised her eyebrows. "Really?"

"I swear I did nothing," I lied.

Percy sighed. "Okay, whatever. But if she's not back to normal by tomorrow, I'm gonna have some follow-up questions."

•••••••••••

The next few days in England passed ny quickly. Stella, Percy, and I found the second leaf in an overgrown, abandoned garden. It was Stella who got it. She had an eye for seeing things that Percy and I couldn't, and could climb trees with ease.

But she still hadn't said a word to me.

She was talking to Percy, but I guess she REALLY didn't think of me as any more than a friend. Not even that, now. We were hardly acquaintances.

One night, Percy had had enough. We were sitting in our hotel room, not speaking, and he practically blew up.

"Stella, what the hell is up with you? You were fine last week, but after the empousani thing, you haven't said a word to Nico, and you've barely spoken to me. You haven't made fun of Nico for falling off the pier, and you're not talking about how hot some band member is. You've barely even smiled, and you're not bouncing off the walls like you usually are. What happened?"

And with that, Stella burst into tears and ran out of the room.


	13. Chapter 12

_"I'm not coming back, I've done something so terrible, I'm terrified to speak, but you'd expect that from me. I'm mixed up, I'll be blunt, now the rain is just washing you out of my hair, and out of my mind. Keeping an eye on the world, so many thousands of feet off the ground. I'm over you now, I'm at home in the clouds, towering over your head."_

* * *

 **Stella's POV**

I slammed the door and ran out of the hotel. It was raining, but I didn't care. I needed to get away from Percy and Nico. I was hoping they wouldn't come looking for me.

It was raining harder now. Thunder crackled in the distance, and I caught a glimpse of lightning. I closed my eyes and tried to straighten my thoughts.

 _Nico di Angelo likes me._

 _I don't feel the same way._

It was too soon, too early. I had only known him for about two weeks. We were hardly friends, let alone any more than that. He was nice, sure, and good to have as a friend, but I couldn't bring myself to be his girlfriend, lover, whatever you want to call it.

I was afraid I had hurt him, and I felt bad about that. He was broken, maybe even beyond repair, and I had cracked him even more. There was so much about him that I liked, but not in a 'I-Have-A-Crush-On-Him' way.

My hair was getting wet and stringy, and I tossed over my shoulder in annoyance. As my bangs fell over one of my eyes, I couldn't help thinking the time with Nico that day.

 _The day it all changed._

 _The day he kissed me._

I might have been able to see myself dating Nico. But I wanted to take it slowly. I was fine with holding hands, but kissing? No. I had never had a real kiss with anyone. In fact, Nico was the only boy I had kissed in my life.

The truth? I wanted Nico to be happy. He was completely and utterly broken, possibly beyond repair. And I had just cracked him even more.

 _Unintentionally._

I was crying again, and I knew I was a mess.

"Hey," a voice said. I turned, and saw that it was Percy. "You okay?"

I shrugged. "Not really. Um, where's Nico?"

"Back in the room, ranting in Italian and pacing," he said. "You wanna tell me what happened in there?"

I took a deep breath. I knew I could tell Percy what happened. He seemed like the kind of person who would understand. He knew Nico better than I did, so maybe he could help me out.

"Nico kissed me!" I blurted suddenly. "And I don't feel the same way."

Percy seemed surprised at this. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped open.

 _Was he mad?_

" _Nico_ made the first move?" he said in disbelief. "Dude, if anything, I would have thought it would be you."

"That's all your going to say?!" I exclaimed. "I need advice, Percy. You know Nico better than I do. What should I do?"

Percy thought for a moment, then exhaled slowly.

"Well, knowing Nico, he's either going to get over you or just hold a grudge for, like, EVER." He paused. "Or, he'll still like you a few years from now. He can hide his feelings really well. Like, one time, we didn't know he had a crush on . . . an unnamed person . . . for, like, four years."

"That unnamed person would be . . . you, right?"

Percy's eyes widened. "How . . . how did you know that?"

"I had a hunch," I said. "But, back to what you said before -"

"Talk to him," Percy interrupted. "You _need_ to talk to him."

"But what if he doesn't want to talk to me?"

"Doesn't matter. Still do it." He grabbed my hand and helped me up. "C'mon. It's storming. Let's go inside."

I shivered and followed him back to our hotel room. When I opened the door, I saw that Nico wasn't there. Looking around a bit more, I noticed that he was out on the balcony. I sighed and walked back out to talk to him.

"Hey," I said, "what're you doing out here?"

Nico turned to look at me. His hair was damp, and his clothes soaked. He had a dejected expression on his face.

"Just thinking." He sighed. "I thought you weren't talking to me."

"I know." I sat down next to him. "We need to talk."

"It's about time," he said.

"Look, Nico. I like you. Just . . . not in the way that you like me."

"Could've figured that one out on my own. Stella, it's obvious that you hate me now."

"I don't hate you," I said. "This is just going too fast."

"What's going too fast?" Nico asked.

"Our . . . relationship," I said. "Not that we have much of one. But . . . I used to be able to see myself dating you. I was fine with just holding hands, but I'm not ready for . . . kissing."

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Can we . . . start over?" I said.

"Sure," he said.

I smiled.

"I'm Stella," I said, holding out my hand.

"I'm Nico," he said, and shook my hand. "Nice to meet you, _bella."_

The little Italian I knew clicked in my head, and I smiled in spite of it all.

 _Nice to meet you,_ beautiful.


	14. Chapter 13

_"I've had you so many times, let's face it. Feels like I'm falling in love alone. Stella, would you take me home? One more reason I should never have met you. Just another reason I could never forget you. Down we go, the room's spinning out of control. Lose myself in a chemical moment, night life's taking it's toll. That's just the way it goes. C'mon, Stella, would you take me home?"_

 ** _All Time Low "Stella"_**

* * *

 **Nico's POV**

Wow. I got friendzoned fast.

It doesn't really matter much, now, though, because we have to find a way to get to the final country, which happened to be Italy. There was no way I could shadow-travel the three of us again, and we didn't have enough money for a plane.

So, we had a bit of a dilemma.

Percy had gone off to return the car we rented, so we were alone.

"Hey Nico?" Stella said. "Do you have a middle name?"

"That is the _randomest_ question you've ever asked me, Stells," I said.

"I was just thinking," she said.

"There's a shocker," I said. Stella rolled her eyes and punched me in the arm. "But, to answer your question: no, I don't have a middle name."

"I wish I didn't have a middle name." Stella sighed. "Mine's really stupid."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Hope," she said in a soft voice.

"That's not bad," I said. "Stella Hope Matthews. I like it."

"Only you would say that, Nico." She sighed. "What else don't I know about you?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm not sure. I don't really know what there is to tell."

"C'mon, there's gotta be something," Stella said. When she looked at me with those big, blue-green eyes, I knew my chances of not being able to give were dropping quickly.

 _I would NOT tell her about my crush on Percy._

"C'mon, Nico..." Stella teased. "I know there's something you're hiding."

She blinked a few times, then did something that surprised me. She rested her head on my shoulder. Her hair fell over part of her face, covering one of her eyes. She looked _really cute,_ I gotta say.

Stella was small. You might have realized that already, but I'm not kidding. She might not even have hit five foot yet, and was pretty skinny. And now, curled up against me, she seemed almost vulnerable. I knew that wasn't true, though. Despite her size, Stella could kick ass.

"It's about your crush on Percy, isn't it?" she said.

"How the _fuck_ did you know about that?" I asked.

"It's pretty obvious, ya know," she said softly. "I've seen the way you look at him."

"Guess my secret's out, then," I said.

"So, you're gay?"

I rolled my eyes. " _Yes,_ Stella. I'm gay, yet I admitted I liked you and freaking kissed you." Stella recoiled, like she was hurt. I winced. "Sorry. It's kind of a touchy subject, I guess."

There was silence for a while after that.

"Look, Stella, there's something you need to know," I said. "I'm bisexual. But, you probably know that by now."

I could feel her nod.

"Yes. I like boys and girls. But.. after I got over my crush on Percy, I never _really_ found anyone seriously attractive until I met you. I mean, sure, I would see a guy or a girl and think, 'Hey, he's hot,' or 'She's pretty,' but _godsdamm,_ Stella. I saw you, and thought, ' _Godsdamn. She's freaking_ beautiful."

Stella buried her face in my shoulder. When she lifted her head up again, she said, "Really?"

I nodded. "And I also thought, 'How the fuck did this shrimp of a girl knock Clarisse off an obstacle course'?"

Stella smiled. "Thank you," she said. "No one's ever called me beautiful before."

"You needed to hear it," I said. "And I know you don't return the feelings I have for you, but I'm okay with that now." I paused. "You're an amazing girl, and you deserve to be with someone you really care about."

Stella sat up straighter. "Thanks, Nico," she said. "I needed that."

Then she did another thing that surprised me. She hugged me.

Shocked, I did nothing at first, but soon wrapped my arms around her and buried my face in the side of her neck.

I might have imagined it, but I swear I heard her mutter to herself, " _No... I can't be falling for him."_

But, then again, I hadn't been sleeping well, so it could have just been that.

Still, there was a small part of me that hoped it was true. That my fantasy with her would become reality.

I knew it wouldn't happen, though. I was the son of Hades, never lucky in love. Always let down, friendzoned, betrayed, whatever. I had gotten used to it, mostly, but I was hoping with Stella it would be different.

 _Maybe._

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 **I'm back! Sorry, it's been forever since I updated. Apologizes, apologizes. I had major writer's block and was pretty busy.**

 **I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter. I feel bad for Nico. I mean, he's experiencing all this heartache and shit, but he acts like he isn't bothered by all of it.**


	15. Chapter 14

_"Maybe I know, somewhere, deep in my soul, that love never lasts. And we've got to find other ways to make it alone, and keep a straight face. And I've always lived like this, keeping a comfortable distance. And up until now I had sworn to myself that I'm contempt with loneliness, because none of it was ever worth the risk. Well, you are the only exception..."_

 ** _Paramore "The Only Exception"_**

* * *

 **Stella's POV**

I pulled away from Nico and stood up shakily.

"You okay?" Nico said.

I nodded slowly. "Yeah.. just really tired," I said.

I needed some time alone, to think about what Nico had said, so I walked out of our hotel room and into the outside world.

 _"She's freaking beautiful."_

 _"You deserve to be with someone you really care about."_

 _"I never really found someone attractive until I met you."_

These last few days had been hard on me. Hard on my heart. I had been kissed by Nico, found out that Nico liked me, and now here he was telling me that I was beautiful.

And through all of it, I still don't feel the same way.

At least, I think I don't.

The thing is, it's true that nobody had ever told me I was beautiful before. I wasn't really the kind of person you would call beautiful. My hair was usually a mess, the fanciest I ever dressed was a t-shirt and jeans, and.. I just wasn't, you know, attractive.

Looking at all of the tall girls at camp with their huge boobs and perfect curves, I often felt insecure. I just couldn't measure up with them and their flawless makeup. I wasn't even five-foot yet, and could pass for much younger than fifteen, and they could get into clubs without being questioned. And here I was, still being given kid's menus at resteraunts.

 _It wasn't fair._

I knew I should be happy. Most girls would be overjoyed when a boy called them beautiful, or even cute, but I was different. It felt like Nico was lying when he said that. I couldn't bring myself to believe it.

I didn't even realize I was crying. It was raining again, and my hair was getting damp and stringy. It would be hard to untangle, and I cursed at the thought of it.

"Godsdammit!" I yelled. Nobody would hear, anyway. "Godsdammit, Nico! Why'd you have to go and ruin my life like this?"

Nothing. I was half-hoping that he would come out here, but he didn't.

 _What is wrong with me? What happened to the girl who thought boys were gross? What happened to the one who didn't care about what she looked like?_

Where did the old me go?

 _She_ , I thought, _is never coming back._

"Where's she going?" a male voice said.

I turned, but I didn't see anything.

"You can't see me, Stella, but I'm there."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You've heard a lot of things about me. Valentine's day, much?"

 _Valentine's day. Hearts. Chocolates. That weird flying baby._

"Cupid?" I guessed. The man became visible. He was wearing a white dress shirt and black pants. His hair was jet-black, like Nico's, and slicked back.

"Bingo," he said, snapping his fingers.

"What do you want?" I sniffed.

"That kid you were with, di Angelo, is it?" I nodded. "Ah, yes, me and him go way back."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You see, I got him to admit something he would never have otherwise said," Cupid said.

"And this involves me how...?" I asked.

"I just wanted to say that you're not bad," Cupid said. "And, you're forgetting that I know lots about love. I can tell who likes who and who hates who and who's falling in love and who's —"

"Cut to it," I said, motioning for him to go on.

"Look. The Nico boy. He really cares for you. I can tell."

"Coulda figured that one out on my own," I mumbled.

"Anyway... I know something about you, too." I looked up. "You're falling for him. Whether you like it or not. It can't be stopped."

"Go away," I whispered.

"What?" Cupid said.

" _Go away,"_ I said more forcefully. "Get the fuck out of my life and never speak to me again. I am not falling in love. Love is _fake,_ okay? Now get the fuck away from here."

Before looking to see if he did that, I stood up and ran back into the hotel, shivering and shaking.

I was not falling in love.

I was not.

 _Was I?_

* * *

 **Nico's POV**

I was pacing the hotel room, regretting everything that I had said.

I wish I had never met Stella. My life would be so much less complicated. I wouldn't be falling in love. I wouldn't feel so worthless. I wouldn't have been rejected, let down...

Although, all of that probably could have happened anyway. I should have been used to it, but I just fucking wasn't.

I was going to have to get over her. But I didn't know how.

Getting over Percy was hard. It was especially hard seeing him with Annabeth, but Stella didn't have a boyfriend.

That was what kept me hoping that she just maybe felt the same about me.

But it was pretty clear she didn't.


	16. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: So, yay! I updated! Aren't you proud of me? XD Sorry to keep you waiting. I had some writer's block. (Again) but I got over it, so yay again!**

 **I've got a question for all my lovely readers: What do you think of Stella? Is she annoying? I tried not to make her a Mary Sue like every other fic I've read and I think I did an OK job.**

 **Alright, so I'll just let ya read the chapter now...**

* * *

 _"You've come this far, you're all cleaned up, you've made a mess again. There's no more trying, time to sort yourself out. Hold on tight, this ride is a wild one, make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. Now don't lose your fight, kid. It only takes a little push to pull out through. With so much left to do, you'll be missing out, and we'll be missing you."_

 ** _~All Time Low "Missing You."_**

* * *

Nico's POV

"I wish we could just end this stupid quest so I never have to see Stella again," I growled to Percy.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he said. "What happened? I thought you guys were on good terms now."

I sighed. "Not really. I officially know _nothing_ about girls, though."

"What happened?" Percy persisted.

I shrugged. "Nothing, really. She's just completely and utterly ruining my life."

"Were you like this when you had a crush on me?"

I glared at him, and he stepped back.

"Sorry."

"Whatever," I said. "Anyway, I freaking hate her, but at the same time, I love her."

Wait a minute...

 _I love her?_

That wasn't true. It was just a crush. I did NOT love her.

"Dude," Percy said. "You've never been liked this."

I looked at him strangely. "Been like what?"

Percy shrugged. "You know. Actually caring about somebody."

That was true. I didn't show that I cared about anyone. Ever.

"And your point?"

"My point is: Stella is the first person you've really cared about in a while, and—"

Percy's speech was interrupted with the door slamming open, and a soaking wet, distressed-looking daughter of Nike walked in, her dark hair stringy and her eyes wide with panic. She tried to hide it with a smile and her usual sarcasm and witty comments.

"'Sup, boys!" she said. "Talkin' about me again?"

"No!" I blurted. Percy snorted.

"Smooth," he muttered. I glared at him again.

Stella chuckled. "Okay, Nico. Whatever you say."

I rolled my eyes. Stella smiled, showing off dimples that I had never noticed before. They were actually... really cute.

"So, um, what were you doing out there?" I asked, changing the subject. Stella's tanned face paled at this, and I could tell she looked nervous.

"Nothing!" She managed a fake smile. "Nothing at all!"

"Sounds legit," Percy said, then saluted Stella. "I'm out!"

"What, why?" I asked.

Percy winked. He literally winked. "I don't know. I'll see you guys later."

"What's up with him?" Stella asked, wrinkling her nose in a freaking adorable way. I literally wanted to turn away because I couldn't stand to look at her anymore, she was so. Freaking. Stunning.

"Hello? Earth to Skull Head?"

"What?" I said, snapping out of it and realizing that I had been staring at her for well over a minute. "Oh. Sorry. What were you saying?"

"I said." She paused impatiently. "Want. To. Go. Outside? There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Oh." I blushed. "Sure."

Stella smiled again, grabbed my hand, and started pulling me outside. Despite her size, she was actually pretty strong.

"What did you need to tell me?" I asked. Stella was silent for a while. Then she said:

"Did you... ever have a run-in with Cupid?" she asked. I could feel the color drain from my face. _How did she know about that?_

"Maybe," I said quietly. "How did you find that out?"

"Because," Stella said. "He came to me, too."

I was cautious to reply, "What did he say?"

Stella closed her eyes. She looked like she was admitting something absolutely horrible. I was prepared to be offended.

"Stella?"

She didn't say anything.

"Stella?"

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"Gods, Stell, are you okay?"

"I'm afraid of love," she said. "I don't believe in it. It's stupid and fake and—" She took a deep breath. "And he said that I'm falling in love."

I looked up.

"With you."

That surprised me in a happy sort of way. I knew it was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. There was always a catch when it came to romance with me.

"But I don't believe him."

 _And, there it is._

 **Author's Note:**

 **Yes, it was short. Yes, it was bad. Yes, it had no plot whatsoever. But I had writer's block, so who cares? I know I need to get on with this quest, but I'm lost on ideas. Anybody got any? Yeah, probably not. Lol, it's okay.**

 **See y'all at some point soon. I'll update before August ends, I promise. But after that, my updates will be a lot slower because of school and all that. I've been really busy these past few weeks, with sports and friends and stuff. Sorry! Life happens, ya know?**


	17. A Note From Me That I Hope You Read

**Another Author's Note (OMG I'M BACK)**

 **Hi. I wrote this cringey story, in case you were wondering. And now I'm rewriting it, on this site.**

 **I tried rewriting on Wattpad, but my account was deleted, so that's why that story's gone.**

 **I've wrote a lot more stuff during the year I've been gone, and my writing has definitely improved. The new version will have the same basic plot, but it will be a lot better written. The first chapter will be up this week, and I'm very excited for it.**


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